High school girls soccer: District final capsules for Oct. 24

DIVISION II
Lake Catholic vs. Hathaway Brown at HawkenWhen: 7 p.m.Records: Lake Catholic 10-5-1, Hathaway Brown 12-3-3Up next: The winner will advance to a regional semifinal Oct. 29 against Akron SVSM or Akron Hoban at Brush.Outlook: With the projected upcoming weather, kudos to the decision-makers to move this match to turf. As far as the soccer that will take place on it, a young Cougars side is well aware this will be a tough task. That said, Lake has shown a lot of poise down the stretch to get here and has seven one-goal wins amid a brutal schedule. The Cougars are built around the quality of senior standout Vikki Martinis in midfield ó the more touches she gets, the better the flow goes in the attack. Freshman central defender Tessa Osborne leads a solid group in the back that got an interesting look tactically from West Geauga in a district semifinal but was able to see through a 1-0 win. HB is 7-0 against N-H area sides this fall, including dealing Hawken its lone setback, 3-1, on Oct. 7. With just 22 goals yielded in 18 matches, the Blazers are tough to crack in the defensive third. In order for Lake to hang here, that aforementioned poise is particularly needed in possession. The Cougars can exploit width well at times, and that would also be helpful in this match.DIVISION III
Gilmour at HawkenWhen: 4:30 p.m.Records: Gilmour 13-3-2, Hawken 12-1-5Up next: The winner will advance to a regional semifinal Oct. 29 against Warren Champion or Rootstown at Brecksville.Outlook: This sounds familiar ó Gilmour-Hawken with a regional berth on the line. The Hawks won last fallís district final, 3-1, on the Lancersí pitch. The site changes, but the quality should be the same.† Top-seeded Hawken has justifiable high hopes for a run to Columbus after its state final four charge in 2012. Strikers Kat Zalar (21 goals, 15 assists) and Bianca Medancic (18-11) are outstanding up top, both pacey in space. Zalarís field vision is tremendous, and Medancic may have the best workrate in the N-H area. Midfield play, in some form, has to go through Mackenzie Lesnick (6-5). Her ballwinning and touches carry a lot of value in getting Hawken working the way it wants. That stated, if thereís one side that could hang in the midfield with the Hawks, itís Gilmour. Kelly Harrington (8-12) has been on strong form all fall to roll with fellow senior standouts Michelle Krebs (8-2), the reigning N-H player of the year, and Maddie Levand (7-4). The Lancers play a possession game to complement solid defensive-third play led by sweeper Sarah Potratz. On paper, this seems to come down to how effectively Gilmour can contain the flanks, especially when Zalar and Medancic get touches. Set pieces (corner kicks and free kicks) will also be vital in what could be a grind of a match.